Christiaan Barnard was a South African doctor who was famous for his leadership in preforming transplant operations. On December 3 1967, he became the first surgeon to ever preform a heart transplant. His patient was a diabetic Louis Washkansky who's heart was replaced by one belonging to a 25 year old accident victim named Denise Darvall. 18 days after the operation Washkanksky passed away due to anti-immune drugs for her pneumonia. He died September 2, 2001 in Paphos, Cyprus after suffering asthma complications.
Early Years, Education and Family
He was born in Beaufort West, South Africa on November 8, 1922 to a poor family. His parents were Adam Hendrik Barnard
and Maria Elisabeth de Swart. His father was a preacher. He grew up going to public schools and later studied medicine at the University of Cape Town and at the University of Minnesota.
-He had three wives. First, Aletta Gertruida Louw, tied the knot in 1948 and divorced in 1969. They had one son.
Next, Barbara M. Zoellner was his spouse from 1970 until their divorce in 1982. They had two sons. Finally, he married Karin Setzkorn in 1988 and they divorced in 2000 after having one son.
Career
In 1959, Barnard preformed the first kidney transplant in South Africa. He spent many years experimenting on dog heart transplants. On December 3, 1967 he preformed the first heart transplant in the world on Louis Washkansky, a diabetic whose heart was replaced with one belonging to 25 year old accident victim, Denise Darvall. In 1968, his preformed another heart transplant on his second patient who survived nineteen months. A double heart transplant was preformed in 1974. This involved removing only the diseased fraction of the heart from 58 year old Ivan Taylor and replacing it with that of a 10 year old. He even used an animal heart as a temporary transplant in 1977. In 1983, he retired from his job at Groote Schuur Hospital. After his retirement, he spent his time in Oklahoma at Baptist Medical Centre, attempting to find an answer to how to slow the aging process.
Books and Quotes
He was the author of two books, both autobiographies. First, Christiaan Barnard: One Life (1969 memoir) and then The Second Life (1993 memoir) Among many of his famous quotes, he stated "I don't believe medical discoveries are doing much to advance human life. As fast as we create way to extend it we are inventing ways to shorten it." He provided the world with an inspiring quote when he said, "On Saturday, I was a surgeon in South Africa, very little known. On Monday, I was world renowned." The medical world was forever changed and many lives have been saved thanks to Christiaan Barnard's remarkable skills.
Death
On September 2, 2001 while on vacation in Paphos, Cyprus, Barnard suffered asthma complications which were the pulled trigger causing his death. He was 78 years old.
Christiaan Barnard
Christiaan Barnard was a South African doctor who was famous for his leadership in preforming transplant operations. On December 3 1967, he became the first surgeon to ever preform a heart transplant. His patient was a diabetic Louis Washkansky who's heart was replaced by one belonging to a 25 year old accident victim named Denise Darvall. 18 days after the operation Washkanksky passed away due to anti-immune drugs for her pneumonia. He died September 2, 2001 in Paphos, Cyprus after suffering asthma complications.
Early Years, Education and Family
He was born in Beaufort West, South Africa on November 8, 1922 to a poor family. His parents were Adam Hendrik Barnard
and Maria Elisabeth de Swart. His father was a preacher. He grew up going to public schools and later studied medicine at the University of Cape Town and at the University of Minnesota.
-He had three wives. First, Aletta Gertruida Louw, tied the knot in 1948 and divorced in 1969. They had one son.
Next, Barbara M. Zoellner was his spouse from 1970 until their divorce in 1982. They had two sons. Finally, he married Karin Setzkorn in 1988 and they divorced in 2000 after having one son.
Career
In 1959, Barnard preformed the first kidney transplant in South Africa. He spent many years experimenting on dog heart transplants. On December 3, 1967 he preformed the first heart transplant in the world on Louis Washkansky, a diabetic whose heart was replaced with one belonging to 25 year old accident victim, Denise Darvall. In 1968, his preformed another heart transplant on his second patient who survived nineteen months. A double heart transplant was preformed in 1974. This involved removing only the diseased fraction of the heart from 58 year old Ivan Taylor and replacing it with that of a 10 year old. He even used an animal heart as a temporary transplant in 1977. In 1983, he retired from his job at Groote Schuur Hospital. After his retirement, he spent his time in Oklahoma at Baptist Medical Centre, attempting to find an answer to how to slow the aging process.
Books and Quotes
He was the author of two books, both autobiographies. First, Christiaan Barnard: One Life (1969 memoir) and then The Second Life (1993 memoir) Among many of his famous quotes, he stated "I don't believe medical discoveries are doing much to advance human life. As fast as we create way to extend it we are inventing ways to shorten it." He provided the world with an inspiring quote when he said, "On Saturday, I was a surgeon in South Africa, very little known. On Monday, I was world renowned." The medical world was forever changed and many lives have been saved thanks to Christiaan Barnard's remarkable skills.
Death
On September 2, 2001 while on vacation in Paphos, Cyprus, Barnard suffered asthma complications which were the pulled trigger causing his death. He was 78 years old.
Links-
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/bmbarn.html
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/christiaan_barnard.html
http://www.nndb.com/people/887/000082641/